Breaking my silence: A pastor’s journey with HIV
Andries Coetzee shares his journey of living with HIV, confronting stigma in the church, and embracing his God-given identity with courage and dignity.
by Andries Coetzee
Published: February 27, 2025 |Updated: February 28, 2025, in The Presbyterian Outlook
For years, I have concealed my true identity as a gay man and living with HIV. What might seem like deception was a desperate attempt to protect myself from judgment, rejection, and the burden of losing my livelihood. This inner conflict has left me physically and emotionally exhausted, and I am grateful to finally reach a point in my life to claim my God-given identity and human dignity.
February 28 marks HIV is Not a Crime Awareness Day, established in 2022 to confront HIV criminalization laws. These laws, present in 30 U.S. states and 92 countries, wrongfully heighten criminal charges based on HIV status, disproportionately impacting Black and Latino communities, LGBTQIA+ people, and other marginalized groups. As a gay man, husband, father, grandfather, pastor, and person living with HIV, I am grateful that medical advances have made my condition manageable. Treatment granted me a life expectancy similar to HIV-negative individuals and eliminated transmission risk. Continue reading at The Presbyterian Outlook.
